Yes, Nancy, location is everything. a couple months ago there was a discussion about problems with a European car that was not holding up in the desert Southwest. While the car maker was happy to sell cars here, they were not testing their cars for our climate.
I was just in Clovis a couple of weeks ago, Rob. It sure was nice - much cooler during the day and especially in the evenings than Texas at the same temperature. I think Texas humidity is a factor as well. Just goes to show that when you are designing for outdoor environments, there are all kinds of variables that need to be considered! Location, location, location!
Good point on the cold weather, Nancy. It could be that the repetitive swing from hot exposure to cold exposure breaks down the material. So UV resistance may not be enough. In my New Mexico backyard, plastics don't last long. While the temperature may only be 95, the sun beating on the plastic goes to a much higher temp.
Probably so, Rob. The nice thing about our obstacles is that they are portable - they are easy to put up and break down in five minutes or less. If riders store them in their duffle bag out of the sun after using them - they should last for years. I think anything left baking in this heatwave will eventually have an effect. Same problem leaving them out in cold weather - pvc is known to get brittle.
I would imagine the heat itself would have a long-term effect on the hoarse obstacles. So even if they're UV protected, they still may suffer from getting baked in the heat.
I agree Rob, I really like Flow-Rite's innovation and careful consideration of both environmental factors and seeking ways to error proof connections. The Texas sun is brutal as well - I am wondering how long one can expect the UV protection to hold up and what the specs are for that type of testing...we have UV protected furniture grade pvc pipe for some of our horse obstacles to protect against degradation but extended exposure will eventually have some effect. Of course horse obstacles aren't made to withstand acid so I am guessing these couplers are pretty tough in comparison.
I also really like their ease of use - it is so nice to be able to carry out a task without having to wrestle with the connectors first!
Sounds like Flow-Rite had made some advances in the materials used in quick coupler materials. I can imagine these couplers take a beating outside in the Phoenix sun.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
